News brief: Hiker plucked from Packwood Glacier by helicopter

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Local search and rescue personnel assembled yesterday to retrieve a 62-year-old hiker perched on a small ledge after slipping and sliding at the Packwood Glacier.

The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office learned about the woman’s situation at about 12:30 p.m. and made preparations for the five-hour trek to the Pacific Crest Trail but then called for air support instead, given her precarious position, Chief Deputy Stacy Brown said.

The woman had been hiking alone from Trout Lake headed to White Pass and used her satellite phone to call for help, Brown said. A distress beacon came from the area of Old Snowy Mountain, southeast of Packwood.

The woman used her backpack to prop herself and keep from falling farther downhill.

An Air Force helicopter was able to reach the victim and flew her to Yakima, where she planned to wait to be picked up, according to Brown. She was uninjured.

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